In a typical brassiere a pair of brassiere wings are attached to a cup structure and can form the back of the brassiere. The wings are normally at least somewhat elastic and are provided with fastener elements which allow them to be detachably engaged with one another to form a closed back and to be opened to permit the garment to be put on or taken off.
In the above-mentioned applications, we have described the formation of brassiere wings with a closure that is attached as a premade units to a cup structure to form the back of a brassiere. The shoulder straps may be connected between that cup structure and these wings and the fastener elements on the wings are preferably combined press button and hook fasteners which can be engaged by the insertion of a head of the male member into the recess formed by a notch in the female member. The fasteners described as injection molded synthetic-resin snap-type hook and eye connectors and are of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,232 were injection molded directly onto the laminated wings. The fasteners have the advantage that they can be engaged via an action similar to that used to engage standard hook and eye connectors, but can be separated by being pulled apart perpendicular to the wings like a snap fastener.
A problem with these closures is that they can open on their own. Furthermore the tension in the back wings can cause the closure to form an unattractive bump in the middle of the wearer's back.